In this episode we meet the participants from Impactathon 2016, where participants share candid experiences and perspectives from thought leaders and participants in the social impact space; hear about their successes and challenges and how they continually pivot to pursue both profit and social impact.

The participants also got a special guided tour of TechShop in San Francisco. This is a powerful resource to build physical things using state of the art equipment and technology. They also learnt about classes and new packages that TechShop offers.

Listen to the Podcast Episode

Meet Andrew Calvo

Andrew Calvo, is the Director of Sales, SF Bay Area at TechShop. At the Impactathon, Andrew introduced the Tech Shop to the crowd with demos of metal shop, wood shop and laser cutters.

Andrew explained, that hundreds of companies launch from TechShop. Square who developed their first prototype for the Square Reader,a device that turns smartphones and tablets into credit-card readers, came out of Tech Shop.

Andrew also explained that, a lot of Social Impact projects have kicked out of Tech Shop. Bio-light camping stove is a great way to cook food, it reduces the particulates coming out of the flame is one among them. Similarly Resource Sanitation helped to develop, better sanitation products for the developing world. Dodo case is another example, which got benefited out of Tech Shop. He also explained that learning about prototyping tools and technologies, would spark a lot of ideas and can eventually lead to innovative and impactful projects.

Another company, Embrace, is making sleeping bag-like incubators to keep children warm, hundreds of thousands of babies die because they can’t make it to an incubator quickly enough. TechShop also offers free public tours of every machine and shop area.

More about Impactathon

Value Proposition: “Live and online events to bring together thinkers and doers inspired to create and further social impact. Join us to explore the space, learn about nuances, and expand your network.“

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Thank you to those who have pushed through setback, fear, and uncertainty to pursue what at first seemed impossible, then improbable and which has become inevitable through perseverance, courage, and vision.

These nearly 7 years since founding Innov8social have formed a driven journey to explore social innovation and lend voice and platform to the remarkable people working on extraordinary solutions that aim to improve community, environment, economy, access, and seek to deepen humanity.

Causes are more compelling and timing is more urgent now versus any time since launching. In times of uncertainty, may we have the courage to avoid the temptation to stand down, and instead stand up and stand out. And may we find communities that help further our work and help us thrive—-emotionally, financially, and with our impact.

We hope to continue to “take the risk” to bring relevant content, media, training, and innovation to help support the next wave of social impact thinkers and doers.

Thank you for making this journey not only be possible, but being more than worth the risk.